TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

City to repair 211,000sqm of damaged streets

The City public work agency plans to repair more than 211,000 square meters of damaged roads across the capital within the first half of the year

Triwik Kurniasari (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Sat, January 10, 2009

Share This Article

Change Size

City to repair 211,000sqm of damaged streets

The City public work agency plans to repair more than 211,000 square meters of damaged roads across the capital within the first half of the year.

The agency will give first priority to 36 main and busy roads, including Jl. M.H. Thamrin, Jl. Sudirman and Jl. Gajah Mada in Central Jakarta; Jl. Pondok Labu, Jl. Fatmawati, and Jl. Panglima Polim in South Jakarta, said an agency official recently.

"We decided to set three priority levels within the program because we have a limited budget of Rp 40 billion (US$3,6 million) in the first semester of this year to repair the damaged roads," said Hasnil, the head of agency's roads division.

Jl. Kebon Sirih and Jl. Gelora Senayan in Central Jakarta, Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said and Jl. Supomo, all in South Jakarta, are among more than 60 roads included on the agency's second priority list, he said.

"The third will include 29 roads, such as Jl. Raya Bogor and Jl. Bekasi Raya in East Jakarta and Jl. Daan Mogot in West Jakarta. Our main target is to be able to fill all potholes to prevent traffic accidents," he said.

"We also plan to add some asphalt to roads with thin asphalt layers," Hasnil said.

Jakarta has 7,659 kilometers of roads with a total size of 40.1 square kilometers.

Damaged roads have become a big problem for Jakartans over the last few years, causing numerous accidents and resulting in fatalities and injuries.

Motorists have had to maneuver to avoid potholes. Furthermore, damaged roads slow traffic down and cause further congestion.

The condition usually gets worse during the wet season, especially when floods inundate the roads.

The city police reported that damaged roads sometimes caused accidents resulting in death.

Damaged roads have also hurt the Indonesian economy, a government report said. Up to 60 percent of the country's export and import deliveries have slowed because of damaged roads leading to Tanjung Priok Port.

A number of NGOs, including the Indonesian Consumers Foundation and Indonesian Legal Aid Institute, criticized the administration for not maintaining the roads. They said the city should install warning signs near potholes to avoid accidents.

Last year, the agency repaired more than 400,000 square meters of damaged roads with a budget allocation of about Rp 60 billion.

Early this year, the City Council reported it had received many complaints from residents of the capital's five municipalities about damaged roads during its sitting period in 2008.

{

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.